Adios July!

Wow, well it certainly has been an incredible month of baseball and travels. Even the weekend where I didn't go to a game, baseball played such a huge role in my life. And as the calendar flips to August and the stretch run of the season, it is shaping up to be an incredible experience. However, before that, I'm squeezing one last Angels game for the month on Sunday. In addition, I'm going to introduce my project for next week that will be unlike any Baseball Road Trip I've ever done. 

So, for Sunday, the Halos will be taking on the Detroit Tigers. Hector Santiago takes the bump for the Angels while the Tigers counter with Rick Porcello. I'm really looking forward to seeing Mike Trout take the same field as last year's MVP and former Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera. Both teams are incredibly good and playing solid baseball right now. The Tigers have a commanding lead in the AL Central over the Royals, and I doubt that they'll relinquish it. 

I'm thinking about making a return to Noble Ale Works after the game, only if they have the Cinnamon Toast Crunch beer. If they don't, I'll just hit up the Haven Gastropub. I'm sure I can find out online if that beer is on tap, and if not, I might have to wait until next month. 

What's this special Baseball Road Trip project that I'm talking about? Well, as a promotion, I scored a free ticket on the ferry for my birthday to Catalina Island. Originally I had sought just to lay on the beach and do nothing, but after doing some more research about this island, I decided to incorporate baseball into it and make it more of an adventure. 

I found out that the Cubs held their spring training on the island for nearly thirty years ending in the 1950's. The backstory behind them on Catalina is fascinating and worthy of a story. Because of this, I'm going to Catalina to learn more about the Cubs and write an essay on it for this blog. I'm going to track down what remains of the spring training complex, if anything does. I'm also going to try and unlock the history of the Cubs on Catalina by researching the evidence thats actually there. Finally, I'm going to find someone on the island who was actually there when the Cubs played and ask them I they'd be willing to share their stories. It's been so long since the Cubs played there that I want to record the memories of people before they fade from history. 

I've never done something like this before, and to make it into a Baseball Road Trip will mean it is special. I like to think of myself as a detective trying to crack open this story and understand the significance of it. It will definitely be one for the ages. 

As always, look for tweets during the day on Sunday. I'll also be throwing out an update next week with a recap of the game and my itinerary for Catalina. 

Until then...

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)